Robert McNamara

@Former United States Secretary of Defense, Life Achievements and Facts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Robert McNamara was an American business executive and politician California American Harvard University University Of California, Berkeley Bankers Leaders Political Leaders Gemini Celebrities Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and politician who served as the eighth Secretary of Defense under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He is known for playing a vital role in leading the US into the Vietnam War. Before he started his career as a business executive, McNamara had served in the World War II in the US Army Air Forces. Later, he was hired by Henry Ford II along with other Air Force veterans to work for Ford Motor Company. He also served as the President of Ford for some time, after which he was appointed the Secretary of Defense. After McNamara grew skeptical of the fruitfulness of committing US soldiers to Vietnam, he eventually resigned as Secretary of Defense and became the President of the World Bank. Serving for over seven years, he is known for being the longest serving Secretary of Defense. Later, as the President of the World Bank, he shifted the bank’s focus to reduction of poverty. After he retired, he served as the trustee of several organizations such as the California Institute of Technology. He passed away in his sleep in his home at the age of 93.

Personal Details

Birthday: June 9, 1916 Died on: July 6, 2009 Nationality: American Famous: Former United States Secretary of Defense, Harvard University, University Of California, Berkeley, Bankers, Leaders, Political Leaders City/State: California Spouses: Diana Masieri Byfield (m. 2004), Margaret Craig (m. 1940; d. 1981) Known as: Robert Strange McNamara Information Detail Birthday June 9, 1916 Died on July 6, 2009 Nationality American Famous Former United States Secretary of Defense, Harvard University, University Of California, Berkeley, Bankers, Leaders, Political Leaders City/State California Spouses Diana Masieri Byfield (m. 2004), Margaret Craig (m. 1940; d. 1981) Known as Robert Strange McNamara Childrens Robert Craig McNamara Universities Harvard University,University Of California, Berkeley University of California Berkeley Harvard University Notable Alumnis Harvard University University Of California Berkeley Founder / Co-Founder Defense Intelligence Agency Birth Place San Francisco, California Religion Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Gender Male Father Robert James McNamara Mother Clara Nell Strange McNamara Sun Sign Gemini Born in San Francisco, California Famous as Former United States Secretary of Defense Died at Age 93

San Francisco, California

Robert McNamara born at Unsplash Birth Place

On August 13, 1940, Robert McNamara married Margaret Craig, his teenage sweetheart. She was an accomplished cook and a former teacher. They had two daughters, Kathleen McNamara and Margaret Elizabeth Pastor, and one son named Robert Craig McNamara. His beloved wife passed away in 1981 after suffering from cancer. Unsplash Personal Life

He married Diana Masieri Byfield, a widow, in September 2004. Unsplash Personal Life

A film based on Robert McNamara, titled ‘The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the life of Robert S McNamara,’ was released in 2003. It was directed by Errol Morris. It won an Oscar for ‘Best Documentary Feature’. Unsplash Personal Life

Robert McNamara was born on 9th June 1916 in San Francisco, California. He was the son of Robert James McNamara, the sales manager of a wholesale shoe company. His mother’s name was Clara Neil McNamara. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He studied at the Piedmont High School in Piedmont from where he graduated in 1933. Later, he attended the University of California, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, with minors in philosophy and mathematics, in 1937. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Robert McNamara worked in the accounts firm Price Waterhouse for a year. He then returned to Harvard as an assistant professor of accounting. He was the youngest and highest paid assistant professor of his time. Unsplash Early Career

During the World War II, he decided to take a break from the university and help his country in the war. He entered the US Army Air Corps in 1943. He put his sharp analytical skills to work in the Office of Statistical Control. Unsplash Early Career

In 1946, Charles Thornton, a colonel under whom Robert McNamara had served, made a group of ten officers to go into business together. Around this time, it was published in a magazine that Ford Motor Company was in need of serious reform. Impressed by the team Thornton had formed, Henry Ford II hired the entire group, including McNamara. Unsplash Ford Motor Company

Known as the “Whiz Kids,” the team helped the company—which was going through a financial crisis—reform its administration through modern planning, strict organization, and stringent management control systems. Unsplash Ford Motor Company

McNamara, who had started as the manager of planning and financial analysis, slowly advanced to top-level management positions. He became the first president of the Ford Motor Company to be outside of the Ford family. Unsplash Ford Motor Company

Information	Detail
Birthday	June 9, 1916
Died on	July 6, 2009
Nationality	American
Famous	Former United States Secretary of Defense, Harvard University, University Of California, Berkeley, Bankers, Leaders, Political Leaders
City/State	California
Spouses	Diana Masieri Byfield (m. 2004), Margaret Craig (m. 1940; d. 1981)
Known as	Robert Strange McNamara
Childrens	Robert Craig McNamara
Universities	Harvard University,University Of California, Berkeley University of California Berkeley Harvard University
Notable Alumnis	Harvard University University Of California Berkeley
Founder / Co-Founder	Defense Intelligence Agency
Birth Place	San Francisco, California
Religion	Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Gender	Male
Father	Robert James McNamara
Mother	Clara Nell Strange McNamara
Sun Sign	Gemini
Born in	San Francisco, California
Famous as	Former United States Secretary of Defense
Died at Age	93

Robert McNamara

American

Jun 9, 1916

Biography

Personal Details

San Francisco, California